Please note the tour price reflected on the brochure is subject to change. Due to seasonality, and taxes prices of the tour are subject to change without due notice. Please consult with the operator directly for the recent price.

Costa Rica Wildlife Adventure

Travel Style:
For those looking to maximize their sight seeing time. You thrive on a packed day’s schedule from 8 am to 6pm, with some (but limited) free time. Most activities and meals included. Full on

Physical Level:
Full day hiking or trekking over medium to long distances. Moderate expectation of physical fitness. Strenuous

Lodging Level:
You'll stay in no-frills, but clean and comfortable, hotels or guesthouses. A 'Basic' trip might also involve a few nights of camping.
Basic - 2 star

Throughout your expedition, you’ll enjoy the guidance and expertise of a top-notch bilingual guide

Short Description

Costa Rica has long captivated adventure travelers with its astonishing beauty and natural diversity as well as its long tradition of warm hospitality and democracy. Fully one quarter of Costa Rica’s territory is protected by national parks, consisting of tropical rainforest, montane cloud forest,active volcanoes, grasslands, navigable rivers, and tropical beaches. Within these parks are found 850 species of birds, 600 species of butterflies, 1,200 species of orchids, and 237 species of mammals, including three-toed sloths, five types of jungle cats, coatis, giant anteaters, peccaries, tapir, and four species of monkeys. You’ll explore Costa Rica’s natural diversity in a slightly more active, adventurous way than the typical traveler, while still retiring each night to a first class lodge!

No Additional Member Saving

The tour operator chose not to provide any additional savings for members.

Private tours give you the undivided attention of a guide, and often involve special access to sites and unique experiences not available to larger groups. This is a great option for families, couples, and small friend groups. Expect to pay a bit more for the extra service.

Trip Type Private Guided

Spend most of the time outdoors. Common trip themes and activities include cycling, hiking, kayaking, whitewater rafting.

Itinerary Focus Active

You'll stay in no-frills, but clean and comfortable, hotels or guesthouses. A 'Basic' trip might also involve a few nights of camping.

Morning drive through Braulio Carillo National Park, an untouched tropical forest of 80,000 acres with over 500 species of birds and countless species of plants, mammals, reptiles, and butterflies. You’ll then take a boat ride through tropical canals to arrive at Tortuguero Park, one of the most important nesting sites for the Caribbean green sea turtle. You should see morpho butterflies, egret, green ibis, rufescent tiger heron, green and rufous kingfishers, and a variety of other water birds. The rare and endangered manatee may be found in these waterways, as well as the six-foot gar fish and elusive caiman.

You’ll explore the rivers and canals of the park in small boats and on nature trails, discovering swampforest, coastal forest and turtle beach environments. Four species of sea turtle lay their eggs at Tortuguero: green turtles (July-Oct), leatherbacks (Mar-May), and hawksbill and loggerheads (Apr-July), though these latter two are rare and difficult to observe.

Note: You may upgrade to the airconditioned Manatus Lodge for a total surcharge of approximately $115 per person.

Day 4: Arenal Volcano

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Arenal Nayara Hotel

Morning flight to San Jose. You will be met and privately transferred along a very scenic road to Arenal Volcano, a beautiful cone-shaped volcano rising out of flat surrounding plains. Dormant until 1968, when it erupted, Volcan Arenal still fumes and rumbles, blowing smoke, soot, lava, and burning rocks into the air and down the cinder cone. Surrounding the volcano is lush rainforest, farms and mountains.

This afternoon you’ll enjoy a private hiking or horseback riding excursion within Arenal National Park. You'll follow nature trails at the base of the volcano, observing wildlife and flora of the lowland Atlantic forest along with interesting lava formations. You’ll also have lovely views of Lake Arenal, the largest fresh water lake in Costa Rica. After hiking, stop and relax at the wonderful Tabacon hot springs! Cloud permitting, enjoy an evening viewing of Arenal Volcano!

Note: Optional upgrade to the Tabacon Resort or Arenal Kioro.

Day 5: Arenal Volcano

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Arenal Nayara Hotel

Today you have a choice of three soft adventure activities. Your first option is a safari float trip (raft or open seat kayak) down the Penas Blancas River, where your naturalist guide will alert you to a wide variety of trees, birds, monkeys, sloths, crocodiles and other wildlife. Your second option is to go whitewater rafting on the Sarapiqui River, a scenic class three river that flows through lush rainforest and alongside waterfalls. Your third choice is to visit the Arenal Hanging Bridges, where you'll hike along beautiful nature trails and across hanging bridges that overlook the primary rainforest canopy and expose you to birds, flowers, lush vegetation and wonderful views of the volcano.

Day 6: Arenal/Monteverde

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Fonda Vela or Monteverde Lodge.

This morning you may again choose between two wonderful soft adventures in the Arenal area. Your first option is to go on a horseback riding excursion through scenic pastures, forest and hills to a beautiful and very impressive waterfall. You will then hike down to the base of the waterfall where there is a wonderful swimming hole. Hike and ride back to La Fortuna.

Your second choice is to do one of the adventures that you did not select on day 5.

In the afternoon, you’ll be transferred to Monteverde by boat and private car.

Optional 1-day side trip from arenal to rio celeste/tenorio volcano national park

Day 7: Monteverde

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Fonda Vela or Monteverde Lodge.

Monteverde is considered by many to be the quintessential cloudforest. Its unique environment of mist and greenery is formed by trade winds dropping moisture on the upper slopes of tropical mountain ranges, bathing them in an almost year-round cloud or mist. You’ll hike along easily negotiable trails through some of the most beautiful cloudforest anywhere. You may well spot the rare resplendent quetzal, three-wattled bellbird, howler and white-faced monkeys, ocelot, anteater, barbet, flycatcher, emerald toucanet, fiery-throated hummingbird and tanager. In the afternoon, visit the Butterfly Garden to observe and study many of Costa Rica’s most beautiful butterfly species. Stroll through fully-screened outdoor gardens where hundreds of adult butterflies mate and lay their eggs, and watch as newly-formed butterflies emerge from cocoons.

Day 8: Monteverde/Manuel Antonio

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Arenas del Mar.

This morning, you'll enjoy a phenomenal rainforest adventure, the Sky Walk. Located near Santa Elena, the Sky Walk is a series of suspension bridges spanning forested valleys in the cloud forest. The Sky Walk is easily accessible and provides a bird’s eye view of this spectacular habitat. An observation platform offers tremendous panoramic views of the Guanacaste, San Carlos, and Puntarenas lowlands.

In the afternoon, you will be privately transferred to Manuel Antonio.

Note: Optional upgrade to the deluxe Hotel Gaia.

Day 9: Manuel Antonio

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Arenas del Mar.

Manuel Antonio is an exceedingly beautiful national park with warm pacific waters and rainforest that extends right down to white sand beaches. You'll enjoy spectacular views of the blue Pacific Ocean from the mountainsides of Manuel Antonio. In the morning, you’ll take a wonderful privately guided hike along nature trails that follow the beach and continue over a forested, rocky promontory. Wildlife is very easy to spot in Manuel Antonio; you’ll probably see sloths, coatimundis, agoutis, white-faced monkeys, and squirrel monkeys.

Free afternoon. You may decide to go on an optional easy kayaking excursion (open seat kayaks) through the protected inland waterways of the Damas Estuary and mangrove habitat. Watch sloths and numerous species of monkeys travel through the tree canopy, hunt for nocturnal silky anteaters and several types of non-poisonous snakes resting in the mangroves, and listen to the songs of the various marine birds as they glide over your kayak curiously looking for adventure. (Note: If you prefer not to kayak, you may also explore this area in a high tech, ultra-quiet estuary boat. If you prefer more challenging kayaking, then you can do a coastal paddling adventure that will take you past the astounding coral reef systems nestled very close to the shore of Biezans Bay, where you'll have a chance to snorkel and possibly spot boobies and cormorants.)

Day 10: Manuel Antonio/San Jose

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel Grano de Oro

Today you'll have a choice of three adventures. Your first option is to go on an exciting whitewater rafting trip down the very lovely Rio Savegre, a class 3-4 river that is adventurous yet also "family friendly". You'll also enjoy an adventurous 4x4 ride into the wilds of Costa Rica's jungle where you may well observe egrets, osprey, toucans, parrots, kingfishers, cormorants, and many other species.

Your second option is to go on an easy horseback riding excursion through tropical rainforest and picturesque countryside near Quepos. You may also enjoy a refreshing swim in pristine mountain waters at the foot of two stunning waterfalls at Tocori.

Your third choice is to do one of the optional kayaking excursions described on day 9.

Nature Expeditions International Travel Reviews & Ratings

Details

Optional Activities

Optional 1-day side trip from arenal to rio celeste/tenorio volcano national park

Flights & Transport

Internal airfare and ground transport

Group Size:

Intimate Group - 12 max

Cancellation Policy:

If you need to cancel your trip, please notify us in writing or by fax immediately. The cancellation penalty is calculated from the day we receive cancellation notice. (For those persons who do travel, there are no refunds for any unused meals, accommodations or other trip activities.) In certain cases, the cancellation policies of NEI's subcontractors will supercede NEI's policy. The cancellation penalty is calculated based on the schedule below.

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